Sesame Street News Flash

The Sesame Street News Flash is a recurring Sesame Street segment that features Kermit the Frog as a roving reporter for "Sesame Street News." Reporter Kermit, wearing a trench coat and hat and holding a microphone, interviews characters from fairy tales, nursery rhymes, and other popular stories, even appearing at key moments in history. As with most such parodies, the stories often diverge from tradition.

A prototype version of the series (entitled "Sesame Street Sports") first appeared in 1971, and a few regular News Flash skits debuted that year. The skits were no longer produced after 1989, but continued to re-air on the show until 2001. Many of the sketches were featured on Sesamestreet.org, and some appear on the videos Big Bird's Story Time, Silly Storytime, and Fairytale Fun, which include four News Flash segments each.

Some sketches are included here that may not have used the opening Sesame Street News Flash theme music and logo, but can be considered to be a part of the same series as evidenced by the presence of Kermit in his reporter garb, and the manner in which he goes about his duties. In addition to the sketch interruptions to "regularly scheduled programming," Kermit has occasionally served as a Sesame Street News reporter in certain episodes (including Episode 3740, Episode 3785 and Episode 3976) and in specials such as Sesame Street: 20 and Still Counting, Elmo Saves Christmas, and Elmopalooza, among others.

Sketches

The News Flash often returned to the same story for multiple reports. For example, there were several visits with Cinderella, and a series of interviews with Don Music, etc. The list is alphabetized to order them by theme. Click the arrow to sort by Earliest Known Appearance.

Alice in WonderlandKermit interviews Alice, from the Lewis Carroll tales. For this adventure, she drinks a beverage that makes her grow. Alice keeps drinking until she grows so big she breaks her roof! Alice (now with a big, booming voice) thanks Kermit for the interview and walks off. Then Kermit eats a cupcake that causes him to shrink.

Arabian Nights: Aladdin and His LampAladdin is distressed that his lamp won't work until Kermit informs hims that he needs to add a light bulb, plug in the cord and turn the switch. All the while, the Genie wisecracks about his job and trying to get some sleep inside a lamp.

Arabian Nights: Ali Baba and the Forty ThievesKermit interviews Ali Baba, who can't seem to figure out the magic word starting with the letter S to open the door to the cave. When Kermit says goodbye to the viewers, he accidentally blurts out "open Sesame (Street News)," to which the rock opens and forty thieves come out, stealing Kermit's watch and all his clothes.

Cinderella at the BallKermit interviews Cinderella and Prince Charming, who are dancing at the ball. After Cinderella leaves, at midnight, she leaves one glass slipper behind. The prince wants to use it to find Cinderella...so he can have the other slipper as well. He then accidentally breaks the one he found. "Well, easy come, easy go," he says.

This segment was filmed on December 15, 1972 and directed by Jim Henson.

Cinderella: Prince CharmingKermit interviews Prince Charming, who is looking for Cinderella. The prince tries to see whose foot matches the glass slipper. However, the shoe fits someone unexpected. (Kermit: "Boy, these fairy tales are starting to get me down.")

Cooperation ReportKermit is sent to the park for a report on co-operation, except that there's nobody around to interview. At that moment, monster reporter Telly turns up to conduct the same interview. They end up cooperating by interviewing each other.

This segment was filmed on November 6, 1985 and directed by Jon Stone.

Don Music: "Mary Had a Bicycle"Don Music tries to write "Mary Had a Little Lamb", but he can't come up with a word that rhymes with "snow". Kermit suggests that Don try another angle, which leads to Don writing the hit song "Mary Had a Bicycle". Don sings the song, with back-up vocals from the Monotones.

Don Music: "Yankee Doodle"Kermit helps Don Music finish the "Yankee Doodle" song, then because Don finds the idea of calling feathers macaroni ridiculous, they rewrite it to be a song in which Yankee Doodle stays at home cooking for his pony, puts "fat spaghetti" in a pot and calls it macaroni. Little Chrissy and the Alphabeats then come in and perform the song with Don.

Fairy Tale: The Princess and the CookieKermit interviews a servant who tells him that the queen wants to test the maiden by placing a cookie under the mattresses to see if she can feel it. The princess (Cookie Monster) lies down, feels it, and devours the mattresses.

Fairy Tale: Mirror, MirrorThe Wicked Witch from the Snow White story plans to fool the mirror into saying that she is the fairest -- but she hasn't counted on Kermit hiding behind a curtain. When she sees him, she realizes that he really is pretty good-looking.

Fairy Tale: RapunzelRapunzel has been locked in a tower by the wicked witch. Prince Charming comes to rescue her by asking to let down her hair, and she literally does...by having her hair fall off her head.

Later re-airings and releases of this segment edit the ending to omit Prince Charming telling Rapunzel to shut up.

Fairy Tale: RumpelstiltskinThe miller's daughter is in danger of losing her baby if she cannot guess the first name of Rumpelstiltskin. Kermit puts up a hotline, Sesame-Street-555, for people to call in and help her. The name ends up being Bruce Rumpelstiltskin, but unfortunately for Kermit, he picked the wrong place to hide: an empty baby carriage.

Fairy Tale: PinocchioKermit reports from Geppetto's workshop, the home of the world-famous wooden toy Pinocchio. Pinocchio demonstrates how he can make his nose grow longer by telling lies. He tells so many crazy stories that his nose pushes Kermit through the wall.

Fairy Tale: Princess Chooses a PrinceA princess says that the one she has chosen to be her prince has bulgy eyes, small ears, and a funny voice, is wearing a hat and coat...and is a frog. Several male Muppets who were courting the princess then all leave as they are not her type. Kermit is the only one who fits that description, so she kisses him, thinking he'll become a prince. In a puff of smoke, she turns into a frog. Kermit invites her to "the hop" and she accepts.

Fairy Tale: Seven Emotional DwarvesKermit meets the Seven Dwarves, seemingly from the Snow White story. However, in this version each is named after (and represents) an emotion. (Kermit ad-lib: "Hey Dulcy, we got the wrong dwarves again!") They are named Cheerful, Sad, Lovey, Angry, Proud, Surprised and Fearful.

Fairy Tale: Jack and the BeanstalkKermit climbs the famous beanstalk and passes Jack on the way who warns him not to go up. He breaches the clouds and meets a giant (played by Jerry Nelson in a cameo).

Favorite AnimalsAt a zoo, Kermit asks the patrons what their favorite animals are. He happens to be standing by a cage with three attention-craving pigs, who desperately assume the mannerisms of each animal mentioned. One pig finally calls the attention of a little boy who apparently loves every animal. As it turns out, the pigs' favorite animal is the frog.

History: Christopher ColumbusKermit interviews Christopher Columbus before he begins his voyage to discover America. Kermit tries to tell him that the third ship is tied to the dock, but it's too late -- the dock breaks free, and takes Kermit along with it.

History: The Boston Tea PartyKermit interviews some colonial American citizens who are participating in the Boston Tea Party. Rather than tea, they drop things that begin with the letter "T" in the water instead.

History: The First Day of School in HistoryKermit goes back in time to witness the very first day of school, taught by a caveman teacher (Mr. Moses) with caveman students (such as Oog, Argh, and Runk). Today the students learn about the letter N. The teacher presents a stone carved N to Kermit...which accidentally lands on his flipper.

Holiday: A Clean SweepKermit witnesses how Santa Claus comes down the chimney, but not before a chimney sweep enters the chimney first. When Santa finally comes down, he grabs the chimney sweep and Kermit, sits them firmly on his lap and asks them what they want for Christmas.

Ideas for GamesKermit is on a quest to interview people who have invented their own games. Elmo plays "the reporter game", where he pretends to be a news reporter, and then fights with Kermit over his microphone.

Little Red Riding Hood: The WoodsmanKermit witnesses how the mailman, the salesman and the woodsman knock at the door while the Big Bad Wolf chases Little Red Riding Hood around the bed. Eventually, the Woodsman shows up, and Little Red Riding Hood and the Wolf chase him for cutting down a maple tree which was their favorite tree.

Little Red Riding Hood: DirectionsKermit, using a pull-down map, tries to give Little Red Riding Hood directions to her grandmother's house. But she seems preoccupied with brushing lint from her red cloak. In the end, she joins her grandmother, the Big Bad Wolf, and a cab driver for a picnic.

This segment was filmed on December 6, 1983 and directed by Jon Stone.

London FogIn London, Kermit tries to talk about the London Fog, but is interrupted by the London Frog, a Grenadier Guardsman carrying "The Famous London Log," and a London Hog. By the time he's ready to talk, the Fog has evaporated, and the others gather around to dance the London Clog.

Man in SnowstormPart 1: Kermit has received a phone call which tells him that there is someone who has been standing out in a terrible snow storm for a long time. Kermit asks everyone who passes by, "Are you that person?" But everyone he asks has been out in the snow for only a short time. Kermit refuses to give up, however, and tells us to stay tuned.

Part 2: Kermit, now shivering a little, is still looking for the person who's been standing out in the snow for a long time. He even asks Farley, too. Still no success yet.

Part 3: Kermit is now buried up to his neck in snow, colder than ever. He calls the attention of passerby Harvey Kneeslapper, who tells Kermit that he is the one who made the call, which was a prank call. As it turns out, Kermit was the one standing out in the storm.

Miami MiceKermit appeared in his reporter persona in a Miami Mice sketch (which used the regular Miami Mice intro instead of the News Flash logo). Kermit tries to interview the mice about adventure (probably for another news program other than Sesame Street News), but finds it difficult to do so when he's interrupted by a jet plane, an animal stampede, and a giant monster all making their way through the office.

This segment was filmed on January 3, 1985 and directed by Emily Squires.

Monsters at School: The First Day of SchoolKermit reassures kindergarten student Cookie Monster that there's no need to be afraid on the first day of school. As he's about to leave, the teacher mistakes him for a student and tells him to sit down.

Monsters at School: This is How I'm MadeKermit is at the first day of school for monsters, where the monster teacher and his monster students sing a song about how different they look. At the end of the song, the monster teacher let his students play and Kermit joins them in a game of tag.

Monsters at School: What Monsters Want to Be When They Grow UpKermit, doing a "slow-breaking human interest story," asks monsters at a daycare center what they want to be when they grow up, and every time they tell him, he rewards them with a cookie. Cookie Monster, posing as a baby ("Cry cry cry, sniffle sniffle sniffle"), claims he wants to be an orthodontist. However, Kermit gets wise to Cookie's scheme, and instead rewards him with a wind-up toy bridge of false teeth.

Mumford's Big and Small TrickThe Amazing Mumford has a new trick, where he will make Thumbelina big and The Big Bad Wolf small. He makes Thumbelina big, but doesn't make the wolf smaller -- instead, Kermit is the one who shrinks.

Nursery Rhyme: Jack and JillJack needs someone to go up the hill with him. First he chooses Mervin, then Francine and Gladys the Cow. Finally Jack chooses Jill, who refuses go up the hill with him again, so he asks Kermit to fill in.

Nursery Rhyme: Humpty DumptyHumpty Dumpty has fallen off a wall, and Kermit interviews one of the king's horses. Gladys the Cow is also with them, pretending to be a horse. Humpty is put together again, but when Kermit gives him a congratulatory slap on the back, he falls off the wall again. Then the king's horses and men begin blaming Kermit for the trouble he caused.

Nursery Rhyme: Hey Diddle DiddleIn a take on the "Hey Diddle Diddle" nursery rhyme, Kermit interviews Natalie the cow and her cat manager as she prepares to jump over the moon. Natalie plans to break the usual cow stereotype by doing this jump. After the cat plays a fanfare on his fiddle, she makes the jump and crash lands back to Earth, where she is praised and congratulated for her jump.

Nursery Rhyme: Old Mother HubbardInstead of a bone, Old Mother Hubbard brings her dog various objects which rhyme with "bone", including a stone, a throne, and finally a phone (which the dog uses to order take-out from a Chinese restaurant).

Nursery Rhyme: Hickory Dickory DockKermit stands by a grandfather clock waiting for a mouse to run up it, acting out "Hickory Dickory Dock". Gladys the Cow and a duck show up instead. Finally, a horse comes in and explains that the mouse can't make it. The horse runs through the clock, breaking it in the process.

Nursery Rhyme: Peter Piper's FamilyKermit goes to Peter Piper's Pickled Peppers Patch to interview Peter Piper, but he only gets to meet other members of his family, whose names all begin with a common letter. At the end, Peter Piper's cousin states that Peter Piper is in Portland pressing pants.

Nursery Rhyme: Little Bo PeepPart 1: Kermit encounters a distressed Little Bo Peep, whose sheep is missing. They both observe every sheep that walks by - the first sheep has its tail in front (on its face); the second one has its tail in the middle (on its back), and the third one has no tail. The fourth one does have a tail where it should be: behind. However, this indignant sheep claims to be Mary's little lamb. Kermit tells us to stay tuned for updates on the search for the lost sheep.

Part 2: Bo Peep has had no luck in finding her sheep; instead she encounters Gladys the Cow pretending to be a sheep, and Fred the Wonder Horse pretending to be a dog. Kermit decides to give up on the search, and returns us to our regularly scheduled program.

Old MacDonald: SpaceshipOld MacDonald says a spaceship has landed on his farm. A dog emerges with a frisbee in its mouth, and MacDonald mistakes the frisbee for the spaceship. But before long, a real spaceship lands on the farm, and out of it come the Martians. The scene ends in chaos.

Oogle FamilyAlthough this sketch does not begin with the News Flash logo, Kermit is reporting from a theatre auditorium wearing a tux with his reporter's uniform slung over the seat next to him. In what is described as the musical event of the century, music lovers from around the world have gathered in tribute to the Oogle Family -- that is, words that rhyme with "oogle," such as bugle and googol. The featured piece of music was written by Sir Chrissy Von Koogle and played by Old McDougal on the bugle, one of the world's foremost concert buglers, who is accompanied by Mr. Cookie Monster, one of the world's finest googlers. Together, they perform "Old McDoogle had a Bugle", sung to the tune of "Old McDonald had a Farm".

Rainy DayKermit asks Telly and Mona how they spend a rainy day. Telly enjoys practicing his bassoon, while Mona loves to play pretend. Against his will, Kermit gets to play the part of the White Rabbit.

The Bird FamilyKermit interviews a bird who sings about how her parents still love her even though they don't live together anymore (though it is not directly stated whether her parents are divorced or separated).

This was the last Sesame Street News Flash where Jim Henson performed Kermit.[1]

The Six Dollar ManKermit explores the lab of Professor Nucleus Von Fission, who has just built a robot called the Six Dollar Man, out of parts which cost him six dollars total. The robot destroys the lab, while Von Fission laughs. Kermit is horrified, but Von Fission explains, "What do you expect for six dollars?"

The Three Pigs and the Big Bad Wolf: The Pig's Straw HouseKermit interviews one of The Three Little Pigs, the one who built a straw house. The Big Bad Wolf comes to blow it down, but the house is actually strong.

The Three Pigs and the Big Bad Wolf: Five Little PigsKermit tries to tell the story of the Three Little Pigs, but five pigs show up. He realizes he's encountered the wrong group of Pigs -- one of these Pigs went to market, and one stayed home. Just as he's got things straight, the Big Bad Wolf shows up and, determined not to have his fun spoiled, huffs and puffs Kermit away.

The Three Pigs and the Big Bad Wolf: The Count Counts the Three Little PigsKermit's interview with the Three Little Pigs is interrupted by the Count, who wants to count them. When he counts the pigs, thunder and lightning crash, and the pigs, thinking it's going to rain, go inside and refuse to be interviewed. When the Count's counting puts an end to the interview, Kermit goes to interview the residents of the next house... the Seven Dwarves

The Three Pigs and the Big Bad Wolf: How the Three Little Pigs FeelThe Big Bad Wolf has blown down the houses of The Three Little Pigs, so Kermit interviews them to know how they feel. The pig who made his house out of straw is angry, the pig who made a stick house is sad, but the one who made his house out of bricks is proud, because his house is still standing.

The Three Pigs and the Big Bad Wolf: The Big Bad Wolf's School for Huffing and PuffingThe wolf teaches Kermit how to huff and puff like him. The wolf tests Kermit's blowing skills by having him move three ping pong balls by taking a deep breath and then blow them away with his mouth. Next, the wolf wants Kermit to blow down a straw house, but Kermit can't do it. On the third try, the wolf secretly helps him by blowing on the house and they both blow the straw off of it. The wolf congratulates Kermit on his great job at blowing, but now Kermit has to deal with the monster couple who live in it, who are not very pleased with what just happened.

The Three Pigs and the Big Bad Wolf: The New Three Little Pigs StoryThe Big Bad Wolf plays a game of "Three of These Things" with Kermit and the pigs. Since Kermit doesn't belong with the pigs, the wolf blows him out of the picture.

This segment was filmed on December 17, 1986 and directed by Jon Stone.

The Tortoise and the HareKermit covers the race between the tortoise and the hare for Sesame Street Sports. Everything goes smoothly, until the race begins. The hare dawdles, since the tortoise is so slow that the hare will have time to win. Kermit rushes to the finish line so that he can see the results...and is crowned the winner.

Weather ReportNews anchorman Kermit concludes his news program with a weather report by their newest employee, Simon Soundman. Simon presents his forecast using sounds for different kinds of weather (wind blowing, a foghorn for fog, rain and thunder for a rainstorm). Kermit fires him and calls for another weatherman (Richard Hunt), a rather dignified looking chap who has a more literal, "visual" approach to his report.

In Sesame Street: 20 and Still Counting, three new Sesame Street News segments were created, featuring Kermit on location to ask the question of the day, "Can you tell me how to get to Sesame Street?"

One segment featured a substitute reporter, a brown wolf named Warren Wolf. Nonetheless, it was featured as part of the series and included the Sesame Street News theme music at the beginning. The song "Startin' Kindergarten"is introduced by Buster the Horse acting as a correspondent for Sesame Street News.

In the 1996 special Elmo Saves Christmas, Steve Whitmire played Kermit in a brand-new Sesame Street News Flash with the frog reporting on the sudden Christmas shopping craze since it will be Christmas again, eventually leading to an Anything Muppet man trying to purchase his microphone.

Kermit's last news report on Sesame Street was in 2001, when he teamed up with Al Roker to report on a hurricane that came to Sesame Street in a five-part series of episodes.

New tune-in segments under the "News Flash" banner appeared during season 45 featuring Murray Monster (clad in a necktie) conducting interviews with kids, with Ovejita presenting a word in Spanish.

Logo

Most of the sketches began with a logo of the words "NEWS FLASH" on a cloud with stars and a lightning bolt against a black background. A news theme written by Joe Raposo (registered with BMI as "Kermit News Theme") consisting of Morse code-like sounds and an urgent-sounding version of the Sesame Street theme was accompanied by an announcer (voiced by Jerry Nelson in most cases) usually saying "We take you now to Kermit the Frog with another fast-breaking news story!" or some variation. The colors on the logo occasionally varied (one version had it in black and white, another in sepiatone), and it would sometimes be superimposed over footage with Reporter Kermit talking with someone off-camera, though it usually had a basic color scheme, as pictured above. In the 1983-1986 News skits, the "NEWS FLASH" text would usually flash on and off.

A few of the sketches originally did not begin with a logo or announcer, including all of the Don Music sketches, though some reruns had said sketches had the opening plastered onto the beginning of the segment. One known early sketch had an alternate logo, too; it featured a title card reading "news bulletin" in big white lowercase letters on top of a blue screen.

The sketches involving Kermit the Frog interviewing Dr. Nobel Price had a variation of the opening where it started with the standard News Flash logo and music, but the announcer would say "Sesame Street News takes you once more to the far-off island laboratory of Dr. Nobel Price, the great inventor, for news of his latest discovery." Halfway through the intro it would fade to an establishing shot of Dr. Nobel Price's island laboratory, after which the sketch would begin from inside the lab. The segment with Warren Wolf did not feature the News Flash logo, just the island establishing shot; the theme music however remained intact, and Michael Earl provided the announcer voice instead of Jerry Nelson.

On the News Flash segments used on Sesame Street: 20 and Still Counting, the standard News Flash logo was used, but with different theme music (which sounded more closer to the Sesame Street theme) and no announcer.

On Elmo Saves Christmas, a new News Flash logo was used, without the cloud and lightning, featuring the text on a red "splotch" symbol on a map of the world. The theme music remained the same, and had Jerry Nelson reprising the role of the announcer.

The oldest known variant of the NEWS FLASH title card.

The earliest incarnation of the most commonly seen title card, which was first used on the "Rapunzel" skit. (1971-1974)

An early variant of the logo, where a superimposed version goes over the action of Reporter Kermit. (1971-1972)

Another early variation (sepiatone). (1971-1976)

Yet another early variant of the logo, where a superimposed version goes over the action of Reporter Kermit, but also flashes on and off. (1972)

The 1983-1986 version of the title card where the text flashes.

A later variation of the logo, often used to replace older versions. (1986-2001)

The NEWS FLASH logo from Elmo Saves Christmas (1996)

The Sesame Street News logo used during the 1998 news coverage of Slimey's moon mission (1998.)

International

When aired on the international co-productions, many different edits occur. Some cut the title card all together, some leave the original English one in (with the announcer dubbed in the program's native language), and some created their own "NEWS FLASH" intro.